Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal told Fox he’s “not at all” upset about not being the first GOP candidate out of the gate in the 2016 presidential race, stressing that he has a legislative session to finish first.
But, he noted, “We need a president who wants to do something, not just be somebody.”
The legislative session in his state ends June 11, so Jindal expects to make a decision after that.
“Here’s what I’ve been doing that I don’t think any other potential candidate has been doing. I know a lot of them are focused on fundraising, polling, consulting. I spent the last year and a half, I created a think tank called America Next to think about specifically what should the next president do,” the governor said.
“We put out detailed policies. I’m the only one who’s put out a plan how you actually repeal and replace Obamacare. A plan for energy independence. A plan for education school of choice. A plan for foreign policy. How do we invest in the Pentagon, reinvest our military, how do we repair the foreign policy mistakes of this president?”
Jindal added he’s “surprised others aren’t doing that.”
He said the best GOP nominee would be “a reform-minded, a conservative governor, somebody who has got a proven track record.”
“I think this election’s about the future. I think what people want to hear is a candidate that’s going to say I’m going to take on the threat of radical Islamic terrorism. Forget the political correctness. We need a candidate that says I’m going to cut the size of government. Not just slow down the rate of the growth, actually balance the budget,” he continued.
“We need a candidate that says I’m going to get rid of all of Obamacare. Some of the Republicans are already saying we’ll keep some of the tax increases, some of the spending. We don’t need to keep any of it. We need a candidate that’s going to say here is how we restore the American dream for our children and grandchildren, good paying jobs, jobs that allow them to join the middle class.”
Jindal said the GOP needs “an authentic conservative who will push back when the liberal media — when Democrats come at them.”
“I think we can win this election. We need to win this election, not just for the Republican Party, for the sake of our country. We can’t afford four more years. We need a major course correction.”
He stressed that “when you do speak the truth, the reality is the media pushes back against you.”
“So, when I — when I talk specifically about the threat of radical Islamic terrorism, they said I was racist. When I did a Christian event called The Response for people in Louisiana to come together, to pray for our country, the media tried to criticize me,” Jindal said. “When I stood up for Phil Robertson when he used his free speech rights, the media comes after you. As conservatives, we need to stand our ground, push back. I think the American people want to see us fight for our principals. They want an authentic conservative.”
Asked how he’s better than Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Jindal replied, “Well, look, the voters get to decide. I know D.C. insiders would like us to clear the field, to have no debates. That’s nonsense. The voters get to decide that. I’ve been saying for a while that I’d like to see our nominee be a conservative reform governor, but the good news is, the insiders, we don’t get to decide, the potential candidates don’t get to decide. The voters get to decide who our nominee is.”
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